Let Love In
by Blue-Eyed-Hime26
Summary: Ino's daughter,Maki,is the love of her life.The spitting image of herself.Sakura is Ino's best friend,even after she fell apart when Sasuke left her.But when Ino's daughter goes missing,these two best friends have to defend what they believe in.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n Hello lovely world of FanFiction! I am wayyyy excited for this story! I already have the whole thing typed up but I'm gonna ask you guys to work for chapters ;) Just a few reviews and I can have the next chapter up in 20 minutes flat! **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Sleepovers were a big deal as children. Who had sleepovers with whom, who had the best snacks, who had the biggest basement, the best sleeping bag, ect. They were a fad, a harmless fad. Little girls are competitive over everything possible, and sleepovers were just another thing to compete over. A simple little part of growing up…<p>

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><p>I turned the faucet off after putting the last dishes away and dried my hands on my apron. From my station at the sink I could see right out the open window into my front yard. The warm summer breeze blew a few strands of loose hair in front of my face and I tucked them behind my ear, leaning my head on my hand and looking out over the neighborhood.<p>

I live in a suburban paradise; happy children with excellent manners, gossipy neighbors always happy to share a pie or a juicy story, and husbands always available to fix a leaky roof or watch a football game. My husband, Shikamaru, and I had moved here as soon as I had gotten pregnant. Our penthouse in the city just wouldn't cut it, and since I had a bun in the oven, my modeling career was obviously over. But I couldn't have cared less about modeling; I had a miracle on the way.

Maki was my beautiful baby girl, and from the minute she was born I knew I'd die for her. I saw her really begin to peak when she turned 5. Her brown eyes had the intelligence of her father and her blonde hair always fell in perfect waves around her cherub face. She had porcelain skin and rosy cheeks and I wanted to hold her in my arms forever.

Maki is 8 now, and as perfect in my eyes as ever. Sure, the innocence turned into mischief and sometimes I could kill her when she back-talks me. But she's mine, the spitting image of myself…

"Ino! Why don't you come out here? Weather is gorgeous today, not a cloud in the sky!" TenTen called to me, trying to wrestle her twin boys apart from each other. I grinned and waved to tell her I'd be right there. I stepped away from the window and merely wanted to watch for a few minutes.

Kai and Kitsu, TenTen and Neji's twins, had mops of brown hair and the need to be constantly moving. TenTen was the most active mom in the neighborhood and was always willing to rough-house with her tots.

Hinata had a lawn chair out and was sipping lemonade while holding a book in her other hand. Hinata always had a new book each week because with a kid as angelic as hers, there was plenty of time for reading. Juun had silky raven hair, and bright blue eyes to match his father, Naruto's. But their resemblance ended there. Juun was as quiet as a mouse and sweet as sugar. I could recall only two times Juun had raised his voice, and one of them was only because he panicked getting lost in the grocery store.

And the final house in our little cul-de-sac is occupied by none other than my best friend, Sakura. Sakura's daughter, Dani, and Maki were best friends. Currently the two girls; one with locks of blonde and one with striking black, were playing hopscotch in the street. Dani's midnight hair was something that no one talked about. No one. Every day it was a harsh reminder of her father, and the poor girl with the apple green eyes had never even know him. Sasuke Uchiha was a dirty rat, in my opinion. He fled before he even knew Sakura was pregnant.

And oh, how Sakura suffered. And was still suffering. She had sunken eyes with dark bags and never left the shade of her front porch. She made little to no effort at any social contact and if you wanted to see her, her motto was 'you all know where to find me.' She denied that she had changed at all and acted like she was okay, but I could always see through her. Most of us could since we've been friends for so long. It was sad to watch my friend wither away and I honestly wanted to do more for her, but I had my own problems and my own family. It was hard to play babysitter to a grown woman, even if she was my best friend, when I had a real little girl to watch over.

"Hey Sakura." I plopped down on the porch next to her and Sakura offered a small smile. Just like every day, we sat in companionable silence. No matter what Sakura looked or acted like on the outside, she was still my best friend, she was just lost in their somewhere. I would never leave Sakura, whether she went crazy or not.

"Did Shikamaru tell you about the barbeque at Naruto's tonight?" Sakura asked. I grinned and asked her if she was going. I knew Sakura would just bite her lip and act like she was contemplating it very seriously, but Sakura always came. And Sakura always got drunk. Not passing out and vomiting drunk, but just tipsy enough to be the old Sakura. Just high enough to yell at Naruto, or bicker with me over trivial things.

"I might…" She answered predictably. I laughed and elbowed her in the ribs. Sakura yelped and elbowed me back. Yep, still my best friend.

That night my best friend gave me the surprise of my life…

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><p>Shikamaru slung his arm lazily around my shoulders as we walked across the street to Naruto and Hinata's house. Everyone else was already there and a grill was burning brightly in the middle of the driveway. I could tell Sakura already had a drink because she was laughing. I loved Sakura's laugh, I always have but now that they were rare I loved them even more.<p>

I looked up at my husband who was already looking down at me knowingly. He knew how much I loved Sakura and wanted to see her happy again. The corner of Shikamaru's mouth turned up in a half-smile and I kissed him quickly, eager to get to the party.

Half a hot-dog and over five beers later (I lost count), Sakura and I were snuggled up on Hinata and Naruto's porch swing like we were little girls again. She swung her legs over mine and I rested my head on her shoulder.

"And you remember Sai?" I burst into giggles again and felt Sakura's shoulders shake with laughter under my head.

"Oh, yeah! You were so crazy about him and then sophomore year he started dating…" Sakura scrunched up her nose in concentration. "What was his name again…?"

"Gaara?" A strong male voice supplied. Sakura and I burst into giggles again for seemingly no reason, laughing until we tumbled over each other and landed on the dewy grass. We accepted Shikamaru's outstretched hands and I leaned against his chest, letting him support all my weight. I suddenly felt so weightless and heavy at the same time. Sakura smiled sadly and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I should really go, Dani's been having nightmares about Sasuke and if I'm not there…." Sakura trailed off with a confused look on her face.

"Dani's been having nightmares about… Sasuke? But she's never even met him?" Shikamaru said in a steady voice. Sakura's eyes went a little vacant.

"Maybe it was me." She said, seemingly unconvinced. I instantly sobered up at the mention of Sasuke's name and Shikamaru and I shared a nervous look.

"_You've_ been dreaming about Sasuke?" I asked gently but Sakura jerked away from me suddenly.

"I haven't seen him!" She insisted loudly. By now she had attracted the attention of our entire cul-de-sac and we all went a little pale.

"We never said you did." TenTen said quietly. Neji just shushed her and pulled his wife closer, trying to keep her out of it. Sakura was silent with wide eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. I haven't seen her this shell-shocked since Sasuke told her she was annoying when we were 12.

"Shika let's take her home." I wanted to forget what Sakura just said. I wanted to believe that she really hadn't been seeing Sasuke, but I would deal with it tomorrow.

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><p><strong>An There you have it! Chapter one! Eeeeeee so excited! **

**Don't forget to review and subscribe ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Maki! Come inside and finish your lunch right now, young lady!" I called out the open window. It was a day just like yesterday. Everything looked the same, but the mood was entirely shifted. As drunk as we adults were, we hadn't forgotten what Sakura had said.

"Coming Mommy!" Maki called, tossing her baby doll to Dani and sprinting into our house. She heaved herself up onto the chair, and sat on her knees. I put her half-eaten sandwich and chips back in in front of her and she gave me a blinding smile. I smoothed her hair down, my mind completely distracted with thoughts of Sakura… and Sasuke.

"Done!" Maki announced proudly, snapping me out of my daze. I looked down and saw that she had, in fact, finished her lunch and I let her go back outside. I watched Maki grab Dani's hand and the girls ran over to play with Kai and Kitsu. I saw Maki pull Juun over to join them as well. I saw Hinata smile at her son then go back to her book. I saw TenTen and Neji's shadows behind their blinds, dancing to the radio together. Neji was such a romantic…

But I didn't see Sakura. And I didn't see her the next day either. And the day after, everything changed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Finally Sakura made an appearance outside on her porch and I all but sprinted over before she could hole up back inside.

"Sakura!" I panted, running up to her. Sakura's jade eyes widened and I couldn't help but notice the fear in them.

"Hey, Ino." She said casually. I forced a grin onto my face and sat in my normal seat next to her.

"Sakura, I really wanted to talk to you about what you said the other night." I was speaking slowly, trying not to startle her. "What you said… about Sasuke."

"I'm sorry Ino, I can't remember…" Sakura wouldn't look me in the eye.

"I'm not kidding Sakura! If he's messing with you, I need you to let me know. I don't want you letting him get to you like you did when we were teenagers."

"I'm almost thirty Ino, I can take care of myself!" Sakura shouted, getting right in my face. Completely caught off guard, I fell backwards out of my chair and skinned my elbow on the ground. Sakura stood up immediately and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh God, Ino. I-I'm so sorry!" Sakura gave me her hand which I reluctantly took, rubbing my sore butt and arm. As soon as I was standing Sakura quickly let go of my hand and disappeared into her house. I cursed silently under my breath and headed home.

"Be back before dinner." I told Maki as I passed, forcing myself to sound chipper. Maki eyed my skinned elbow but didn't say anything.

_That's my girl…._ I thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I rubbed my hair dry with a towel after my hot shower and threw on jeans and a T-shirt. I put on a locket from my father, Inoichi, and went downstairs to finish dinner. I could hear children still laughing outside and I shut the window tightly, not in the mood to listen to them at the moment. I threw some spaghetti in a pot of water and sat down at the kitchen table, cradling my head in my hands. I must've fallen asleep because the next thing I knew a soft kiss was placed on the nape of my neck. I sat up groggily and Shikamaru smiled gently down at me.

"Troublesome, I guess I'll order some pizza?" Shikamaru offered. I laughed when I looked over at the stove and realized that I hadn't even turned the fire on. My noodles had been sitting in cold water.

That was when I felt the piece of paper in my hand.

"What's this, a love letter?" I teased Shikamaru. But he just gave me a funny look.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He said. I frowned and turned the paper over.

_Mommy and Daddy,_

_I'm having a sleepover with my friend tonight. _

_Love, Maki_

_P.S. You forgot to boil the water._

I was instantly panicked but before I could react Shikamaru's hands were on my shoulders and he told me he would call Sakura. I nodded numbly because it was all I could do as I read and reread the note.

"Ino, honey, she's not at Sakura's." Shikamaru called to me urgently. I just nodded my head. I already knew. In Maki's letter she had originally spelled friend, 'freind'. But someone else had corrected it for her. An adult had crossed it out and rewritten it in neat, simple cursive.

My baby girl had been kidnapped.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

TenTen's arms were around my shoulders and Hinata was dabbing away my silent tears with a tissue. We had been sitting here like this, not saying a word, for the past half hour. We were just listening to the men in the kitchen shouting. Neji was the police chief, but everyone knew Shikamaru outsmarted him, even if my husband was a corporate man. Naruto himself wasn't the brightest, but had his own good ideas that were being input quite loudly.

"Just go down to the station and test the damn paper!" Shikamaru's voice could be heard. Then Neji's low rumbling that I couldn't make out. Shikamaru's voice got low as well and I just stopped trying to hear them. All I could hear now was Maki's laughter, ringing in my ears. I closed my eyes and tried to shut everyone out and focus on my daughter's voice.

"Ino, baby, we're going down to the station." Shikamaru called to me. I didn't even open my eyes.

"I think she's fallen asleep." Hinata told him in a hushed voice. I still didn't stir.

"Poor girl, cried herself right to sleep." TenTen murmured, mostly so only the two of us could hear.

"Don't worry, we're gonna find out who did this, believe it!" Naruto said confidently. The 'believe it' at the end of every sentence was a bad habit he picked up when we were kids, but Hinata loved it. Right then, with all the determination in his voice, I kind of loved it, too.

"Don't bother." I said quietly, unable to keep what I knew to myself anymore.

"Oh, Ino. You're awake." Hinata said, surprised. I just lifted my head off of her shoulder and wiped the dried tears off my cheeks. Everyone was looking at me and I lost my voice for a second. But when I heard Maki's laugh again, I got my confidence back.

"I know who took her." My words were met with uncomfortable silence. They didn't believe me. The men didn't think there was possibly anything I could know that they didn't.

"We're just gonna test it to be safe." Shikamaru told me gently. I waved him away and stood up facing Neji.

"It was Sasuke Uchiha."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n Okay my friends, here is the last chapter! Haha look at me.. I think I have fans :P Lol well, enjoy!**

I was right, of course. When the men returned from the station, the fingerprints confirmed my prediction. But there wasn't a single doubt in my mind. It was the handwriting. No one could have known it but me, but when we were kids I used to write Sasuke little notes every day. When he finally wrote back after months, I kept the note forever. I studied it and cherished it and could perfectly picture it in my mind at any given moment, as clear as a photograph. Of course all that the note said was;

_Ino, _

_You're over-flowing my locker. Cut it out. _

_Sasuke_

I realize now what an asshole he was, but he had written my name. It put butterflies it my stomach when I used to just _see_ my name in his handwriting. He also didn't say anything outright mean to me, which was a miracle in itself. He never said he didn't like that notes, he just didn't want me stuffing things in his locker anymore.

I was alone now.

TenTen and Hinata had to go home to watch their kids, making me promise to call if anything happened. All the husbands were out trying to find Sasuke. I couldn't bear the thought of Shikamaru out in the storm that had formed, trying to find someone as terrible as Sasuke. Who knew what he would do? But Neji made some calls and Sasuke had been sighted, so the men were off and running before I even got to kiss Shikamaru goodbye. I hoped Sasuke was taking care of my baby girl, or so help me God I would put a bullet through that man's brain. Childhood friend, or not.

I curled up on the couch with a blanket and stared at the black TV. I jumped every time lighting struck but was calm at the rumbling of thunder. I couldn't explain it, but while most people were scared of the house rattling, booming thunder, just the sight of the dark world outside being momentarily illuminated was enough to have me hiding under my covers. Maki was the same way…

The mere thought of her made me ache all over.

Then someone knocked on the door. I jumped up, hoping it was Shikamaru with Maki in his arms and Sasuke at his feet.

"Ino." I stepped away from the door like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice water on me.

"Sakura?" I wasn't sure it was really her. I didn't know if this was real. She looked at me desperately through wet pink bangs, plastered to her face.

"Can I come in?" She asked tentatively. Her teeth were chattering and she was soaked to the bone. Wordlessly I stepped aside and let her in. I shut the door behind her and ran upstairs to get her a towel. My mind was racing as I ran back down the stairs towards her. I _couldn't_ tell her about Sasuke. There was no way. I just had to keep quiet no matter what.

"Thanks." Sakura said with a smile that looked more like a grimace to me. Sakura sat on the couch and I took the towel from her, gently massaging her hair with it. I don't know why I did it, out of instinct maybe. I had always towel-dried Sakura's hair for her when we were kids because she refused to let me do almost anything else to it. 'No heat!' She used to squeal when I locked her in the bathroom with me and my straightener.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I finished with her hair, handing her the towel so she could wipe her face. I'm not sure, but I think she was crying under all the rain water.

"I heard…" She said quietly. I froze and let out a short, sharp laugh that I was sure wasn't very convincing at all.

"Of course you heard, you were the first person I called." I said, trying to sound convincing. Sakura looked up at me with such pain-filled eyes, I was frozen solid.

"I know who it was."

Now I was sure that I was not only frozen on the outside, but on the inside too. Was the pain in her eyes because I hadn't told her? Because as her best friend, she thought I _wanted_ her to suffer.

"Now wait just a second-" I started but Sakura cut me off, standing up and towering over me.

"Ino, it's over. I _know_." Sakura hissed in my face, leaning over me. Her breath smelled like vomit, which I was sure she did as soon as she heard the news.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I don't know what you want." I tried to sound brave, pushing her away from me.

"Call them back!" Sakura screamed. I screamed too, as she pushed me down farther into the couch. She sat over me, straddling my waist with her hands on my shoulders.

"Cut it out Saki!" I said, not even registering what she had yelled in my face. I hoped her childhood nickname would snap her out of her fit of rage but it only seemed to make her angrier.

That was when Sakura hit me. Not a playful hit, or a bitchy slap. A real hit. I took a hard fist straight in the nose. I saw stars for a good three minutes and blood ran down my face and onto my chest since Sakura wouldn't even let my move enough to bring a hand to my nose. I was so shocked, I wasn't even mad. Just hurt.

Sakura's eyes seemed to change to a thousand different emotions when she looked at me but in the end she was completely void of emotion. Which in my opinion was scarier than rage. I didn't move any more or fight her after that. I just looked right into her eyes, trying to ignore the taste of blood on my lips.

"Call them back." Sakura snarled. I just stared back at her, not sure what she meant. "They're going to hurt Sasuke! Call them back!" Sakura shrieked hysterically. That was when it hit me. She wanted me to call Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji back so they wouldn't find Sasuke!

"What!" I screamed back, equally as hysterical at this point. "You want me to let my daughter go so that _Sasuke Uchiha_ will be safe!" I spat his name in her face and she hit me again, this time hitting me square in the jaw. But this time I wasn't taking it. As soon as Sakura mentioned my daughter I became a whole new person in the situation.

I threw Sakura off of me and crashing through my coffee table with strength I didn't know I had. Sakura grabbed a piece of the broken wood and threw it at me but missed and without giving her another second I pinned her to the ground. Thunder shook the house and the lighting made Sakura's face look even crazier. Her eyes seemed to glow red and her teeth were bared like a wild animal's. I hoped that I didn't look like that.

"Sakura you're crazy." I growled.

"Look who's talking." She snarled back at me. I laughed and spit in her face. Ha. She deserved that one. Sakura twisted her face into a monstrous looking expression and tried to claw at me.

"Jesus Christ Sakura, just stop it!" I said, trying to shake some sense into her.

"I'm not quitting until he's safe! Not until Sasuke is safe!" Sakura was really going crazy now and I was panicking. Sakura was bigger than me and I couldn't hold her down forever. If she was really as insane as she was acting I didn't know what I was going to do.

"Sasuke is a monster! He's a dirty, stinking rat! He LEFT you, Saki!" I tried to redirect her anger, watching her expression carefully. "And I am NOT risking my daughter's safety for him!" I finished. Sakura stilled for a second. I thought I had finally gotten to her until she opened her mouth again.

"I don't care." She said so quietly I almost didn't hear her. But I did hear her. And I brought my fist straight into her face so hard the coffee table broke a little more underneath her head. Sakura's eyes were wide when I pulled my fist away and she screeched, grabbing me by my bony shoulders and flipping me onto my back. Broken pieces of the table dug into my skin and my mouth dropped open in a silent scream of pain. Sakura sat on top of me, breathing heavily and I stared up at her.

We were completely silent, looking into each other's bloody faces and wild eyes. And then, some sort of unspoken promise we had all these years was broken. Sakura would do anything for Sasuke and I would give my life for Maki. After years of having each other's backs, we had new people to protect.

I opened my mouth to make some sort of closure statement but the front door swung open and suddenly Shikamaru, Neji and Naruto were staring at us with horrified looks on their faces. Sakura jumped off of me quickly and bolted through the front door. The men were too shocked to even stop her. I didn't move when Sakura left. I just lay there in the shards of broken wood staring up at the ceiling.

"Mommy?" I heard a small whimper. I slowly tried to sit up and the three men were at my side, carefully pulling me to my feet.

"Maki." I whispered, with tears in my eyes. She was there, standing in the doorway, wet, but seemingly unharmed. Her blonde hair was plastered to her face and her brown eyes were wide. I gave her a weak, and probably bloody, smile. I knew it was unconvincing and I didn't even bother saying that I was okay. My daughter was smart; I couldn't fool her with sweet, motherly words.

Maki was just like me. She knew more than people thought she did.

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><p><strong>An Haha! You thought it was over but I actually have an epilogue planned! It'll just be a short one, but I won't leave ya'll hanging on a cliff like this!**

**Review and Subscribe!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n Here it is, the final chapter! A huge thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed, and even just read this story :) Please enjoy and I hope I don't disappoint!**

After Naruto and Neji helped clean me up and Shikamaru put Maki in bed the four of us stood in the family room together.

"So… what happened?" I asked finally. Shikamaru looked at Neji who looked at Naruto who scowled at both of them before turning to me.

"Well we... Sasuke was… We found Maki and Sasuke… He… We…" Naruto was obviously struggling. He had been Sasuke's best friend. Naruto was more important to Sasuke than Sakura ever was.

"We had to kill him. He was armed and dangerous. There was no other option." Neji said finally. He sounded a bit apologetic but I couldn't care less what happened to Sasuke. I smiled bitterly and hissed in pain when I tried to sit down. Exhausted, I settled for standing and resting my head on Shikamaru's shoulder.

I told them what had happened here. Every last detail; every word that was said and every punch that was thrown. The men were silent but I just shook my head with nothing else to say. It was a shame what Sasuke had done to Sakura, but obviously it couldn't be fixed. The men were suddenly shifting uncomfortably and looking at each other again.

"What?" I whined, not really in the mood for any more news. Shikamaru cleared his throat and took me gently by the shoulders so I faced him.

"Sasuke had a final message." I nodded my head for him to continue. "He wanted you to know that… that he loved you, Ino." Shikamaru struggled to say with a troubled expression on his face. I collapsed into his arms then and there, my face white as a ghost's. Everyone crowded around me, fanning my face and checking my pulse. I knew I was completely unresponsive to them because I was focused too intently on something else. Through the window in my kitchen, during the last flash of lighting, I saw a blur of pink.

And I knew that Sakura had heard it all.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

EPILOGUE

I haven't seen Sakura since that night. The next day she and Dani had completely disappeared, leaving nothing behind. Only two days later Sai and Gaara moved in with their adopted daughter, Raya. It was actually kind of funny and I think I laughed for 2 hours straight. Maki made quick friends with Raya, but sometimes I caught her slip up when she was talking and call her Dani.

Even now, on Maki's 12th birthday, she still remembers her old friend. I don't blame her and I don't try to stop her from remembering. It's good for both of us to keep our memories of Sakura and Dani strong.

Maki's birthday party ended just half an hour ago and I've been sitting at this picnic table quietly the whole time. TenTen and Neji were there with their sports stars, Kitsu and Kai. The boys excelled at every sport they ever played and everyone in the neighborhood was their biggest fans. Hinata and Naruto brought Juun, who had won four poetry contests and six science fairs. Raya was there with her fathers, who were so proud of their gymnastics star. Every one of the kids had grown to be great at something, and even though Maki was still just Maki, I loved her more than ever.

She was beautiful and cunning. She could grab anyone's attention and persuade people of anything. She was also wise beyond her ages. She didn't trust freely and she always asked questions. She was cautious and could be closed off to the world.

She was my spitting image.


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